Vegas makes Kyle Busch the favorite to win 2018 NASCAR Cup Series championship
By Nick Tylwalk
Current champion Martin Truex Jr. is up there too, but tied with a couple other drivers with the second-best odds.
Congrats on that Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, Martin Truex Jr. Well deserved. On thing, though: it’s Kyle Busch, not you, who is the favorite to wear the crown next year.
That’s according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook (via ESPN), which has installed Kyle Busch as the betting favorite for the 2018 championship at 9:2 odds. Busch was the 2017 runner-up, finishing just one spot behind Truex at Homestead. He also won the Cup Series title in 2015.
Truex has the second-best futures odds at 5:1, but he’s joined by Kevin Harvick, who finished third this year and was Ford’s best hope after a playoff surge of sorts, and Kyle Larson. He failed to even make the Championship 4 after an engine failure in the previous round of the playoffs, but Larson was fast all year and should be entering his prime, so his low odds make sense.
As for seven-time Jimmie Johnson, this might be the most money you could ever win betting on him before a season starts — or at least in some time — as he comes in at 15:1 following a season in which he won some races but never really appeared to be a true contender come playoff time. If you believe the 48 team has some magic left in it, this would be the best possible time to back them.
Next: Who will be NASCAR's Most Popular Driver with Dale Jr. gone?
Here’s a look at the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series championship futures odds for 12 notable drivers:
- Kyle Busch – 9:2
- Kevin Harvick – 5:1
- Kyle Larson – 5:1
- Martin Truex Jr. – 5:1
- Chase Elliott – 6:1
- Joey Logano – 8:1
- Brad Keselowski – 10:1
- Denny Hamlin – 15:1
- Jimmie Johnson – 15:1
- Alex Bowman – 40:1
- William Byron – 40:1
- Kasey Kahne – 500:1